Anaheim Ducks: 2021 Outrageous Trade Deadline Extravaganza
Committing To Isac Lundestrom
With the expansion draft coming up this summer, the Anaheim Ducks are going to need to make some decisions on certain players. They simply won’t be able to protect everyone they like. With that in mind, the Ducks are going to double down on Isac Lundestrom in that third-line role.
This will make Sam Steel somewhat expendable. Certainly, the Ducks will like his increasingly solid prowess in the faceoff circle, however, at 23 years old, Steel is in his statistical scoring prime and is simply not scoring.
Detroit is another rebuilding team that would use young talent. In a 2021 season with a somewhat weaker and uncertain draft, they are comfortable in moving two of their 3rd round draft selections for a young and proven NHL player.
In doing so they get a little younger in their forward group without radically altering their rebuilding plans. The Anaheim Ducks, on the other hand, shore up their draft stocks for this season and receive compensation for one of their young players who may have been considered lost to the expansion draft.
Making Room For Josh Mahura in the Anaheim Ducks Lineup
The Ducks seemingly have a lot of younger defencemen of the same quality, although differing styles. While in practice they appear to be leaning towards Jacob Larsson, whom I like, moving into the future, I think Josh Mahura may be a more effective use of that roster spot.
Thus, I will attempt to move Larsson within the division, to the Arizona Coyotes, who have quite an aging blueline of which many are unrestricted free agents next season. Ducks fans will know Larsson is a former first-round draft selection and that he’s signed for a further three seasons. Something that could fit in nicely with the Arizona team. Further, his first-round pedigree could go some way towards bridging the gap they’ve had with missing draft selections.
The Anaheim Ducks would look at receiving a modest package of draft picks in return. Given the Coyotes are missing their first-round selection this season, the Ducks will be kind enough to delay the picks coming in return to the 2022 and 2023 season. In effect, strengthening their draft positions in those future drafts.